Watauga River Cleanup...
Ten Years of Success
 The Overmountain Chapter and North American Fibers, Inc., celebrated ten years of concern for the environment with the Annual Watauga River Cleanup, Saturday, May 16.  More than one hundred individuals registered for the event.  More than two tons of trash was removed from Watauga and Doe rivers.
 Lynn Smith, who has served as the organizer of the event each year, expressed his appreciation to the participants.  “Many of these individuals and organizations have supported the cleanup from the very first year,”  he said. “Without the support of individuals and organizations, volunteer efforts, such as stream cleanups cannot succeed.”
 “I especially appreciate the members of the Chapter  Resource Protection Committee,” Smith continued. “They stepped in and filled the void left by the reductions at North American Fibers.”
 Smith noted that the cleanup has enjoyed good weather  each year. “During one or two cleanups, the weather was a bit chilly, and once or twice it sprinkled.  But  we have been blessed with generally good weather.  We have never been forced to cancel the cleanup due to flooding or inclement weather.”
 Water quality and environmental exhibits focusing on water resources conservation were provided by Watauga Ranger District of  the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Elizabethton High School Ecology Club, EMPE, Inc., Erwin National Fish Hatchery, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), TVA, and the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  Trash bags and gloves were provided by TVA and America Outdoors.  Waste Management provided a large dumpster.
 Immediately following the cleanup, several prizes were given away to participants in a drawing.  Prizes were donated by Appalachian Angler, Boone, NC; Holston Angler, Piney Flats, TN; Hunter Banks, Asheville, NC;  Little River Outfitters, Townsend, TN; Mahoney’s, Johnson City, TN; O’Delly’s, Elizabethton, TN; Pal’s, Elizabethton, TN; Rustlers, Elizabethton, TN; Smoky Mountain Trout Farm, Hampton, TN; and the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN.
 Other organizations supporting the cleanup were: American Limestone, Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts, Carter County Landfill, cities of Elizabethton and Johnson City, Elizabethton City Schools, EMPE, Inc., First Presbyterian Church, Scouts, and Quest  Recycling.
 The Annual Watauga River Cleanup is held on the third Saturday of May each year, and in conjunction with National River Cleanup Week each year. Headquarters for the cleanup are in the Covered Bridge Mini Park in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Fly of the Month

SCUDS
 Scuds have become an important pattern for fly fishermen on tailwaters and other streams with large areas of aquatic moss and grass.  Scuds imitate tiny shrimp that inhabit the grass and moss beds.
 Trout often  cruise the edges of these beds in search of these shrimp.  A properly  presented scud will draw strikes when nothing else will.
 Scuds are effective during summer months on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers.

 SCUD

Hook TMC 2487, size 12-18
Thread To match body color
Tail  Mallard flank or teal,
  6-8 strands
Back  Clear industrial strength   plastic, trimmed to a point
Rib  4X or 3X mono
Body Rabbit dubbing - olive,   gray, orange, pink or tan
Antenna Same length as tail, 5-6   strands
Weight .015 Lead

Tying Notes: Bend hook to side.  Wrap thread below tail tie-in position. Tie tail, tie rib, tie in back. Wrap thread to eye. Tie in antenna.  Spin loose dubbing and wrap body. Pull back forward, tie off.  Wrap mono rib, tie off.  Whip finish.  Use dubbing needle, pull out  dubbing on  bottom of body to simulate legs.  Can be tied weighted or unweighted.

Electrofishing Damage Minimal
 TWRA wildlife biologist Jim Habera weighed in on the controversy surrounding electrofishing damage to trout populations with the results of a study he recently completed.  Habera, speaking to the Overmountain Chapter May meeting, acknowledged it is a dilemma that will probably never be solved, but his results contribute something tangible to the debate concerning electrofishing. While there are other techniques for acquiring fish for scientific study, electrofishing appears to be the least damaging method available to scientists today.
  Efforts in seven streams produced a sample of 57 large brown trout ranging in size from 10 to 25 inches.  None of the sample died during the electrofishing or while the fish were being held in live cages.  Only 10 fish had injuries suggestive of potential effects on long-term health or survival.
 All the samples were examined and even x-rayed at the UT-Knoxville School of Veterinary Medicine.  This is the first time the school had the opportunity to conduct these types of examinations of fish, Habera said.
 “The most important concern, from a fisheries manage- ment perspective, is whether or not the detected 35 % spinal injury rate for large brown trout eventually impacts on population levels,” Habera said. “We did observe, during the study, that smaller-size trout populations in the Southern Appalachian streams were not adversely affected by electrofishing.”
 The injury rates to fish from electrofishing are considerably higher in western states than in the southeastern United States, a fact that Habera attributes to the method used in the two areas.
 “DC voltage is used out west much more frequently, while AC current is almost used exclusively in the southern Appalachians,” Habera said. “I believe this makes a difference.”
 The final conclusion of the study said: “Given that  injury of large brown trout in the present study was comparatively infrequent and minor and few fish would actually be affected in any sample, there is little basis for concern about population- level affects.”
 While the debate will no doubt continue, the study at least provides some empirical data of which to base the discussion.
Paul Anderson